


monsters

by Chiaroscuro555



Category: Actor RPF, Chinese Actor RPF, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, BJYX Week (The Untamed RPF), BJYX | Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean is Real, Dark Fantasy, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Halloween, Haunted Houses, M/M, Misunderstandings, Monsters, Samhain, Smut, YiZhan World Domination
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:07:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27072463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiaroscuro555/pseuds/Chiaroscuro555
Summary: Wang Yibo's mother died in childbirth and his adopted family vanished overnight. All because of his strange power.He put himself away in an estranged manor, with his band of motley crew. The monsters. Literally.Until one day a group of Slayers tried to capture him and his newfound family, just because they were branded as monsters.But who were the monsters really?A bunch of 'creatures' who did nothing but exist, or a group of 'elite' humans who harm and destroy everything that was not in line with their agenda?
Relationships: Wang Yi Bo & Xiao Zhan | Sean, Wang Yi Bo/Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan | Sean
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18
Collections: BJYX Horror Fest, BJYX Week 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [athousandfaces](https://archiveofourown.org/users/athousandfaces/gifts).



> BJYX WEEK 2020  
> DAY 6  
> Dark Fantasy AU
> 
> BJYX Horror Fest  
> Monsters  
> Supernatural  
> Monster Hunters

_It was that time of the year. Again._

He sighed.

He hoped they didn't do anything extreme today.

The dilapidated mansion on top of the hill was dark. It sat on a vast ground, surrounded by huge scary looking trees and rusty Victorian wrought iron fences bordering the land. It was supposed to be locked, but people always find a way to break into the ground. The _'Private Property, Do Not Trespass'_ sign on the front gate seemed to carry no weight at all.

He should have just opened the lock and the gate and let them in to satisfy their curiosity, rather than buying a new lock every time they broke into his home.

Thankfully this was the modern day, where everything strange and scary were chalked up to be some kind of paranormal disturbance and then just left alone.

Sometimes, some brave souls wandered inside. 

Some, for a simple dare. The others with some serious equipment, to gauge and find out the cause of all the anomalies.

But in the end, they wouldn't find anything. Just scared to death of something they haven't even seen.

He looked down from his room in the attic. There's a huge tree branch that connects to one of the windows, making it easy for him to go in or out undetected.

There were some poor souls that had been roped into some kind of dare right now, inside the mansion. So he left, stealthily, leaving them to scream their hearts out without him having to hear it. He knew _'they'_ just wanted to play, so he let them. A few more deaths would only add to the mystic of the house, and hopefully, _finally_ , leave them alone.

He put on his leather and helmet, then roared away in his monster of a bike, to go shopping. 

Yes, he loved shopping. _And killing._ Seeing the life dimmed out from his victims's eyes always gives him a sense of high that nothing else could compare.

He cackled inwardly. 

_But no killing today._

He was in a kind of a good mood, with holiday seasons and all. He might as well put Xue Yang's knife skill to good use. _Like carving pumpkins._

He laughed at the thought of that borderline psychopath carving pumpkins instead of humans.

Well, the people he lives with and has some kind of _attachments,_ were various kinds of _monsters._

Literally.

He, himself, was some kind of a monster, although he didn't look like it. He was abandoned, emotionally. Physically he had no shortage of anything. The choice of living in this dilapidated mansion was entirely his. It seemed to suit him. _The unwanted mansion for the unwanted man._

He shrugged off his blues, and got himself ready to play, and play hard.

  
  


\-----

  
  


He knew he was not supposed to kill in the broad daylight, but this bastard did not make it easy. 

He was sitting alone in the bar, nursing his beer after a long time shopping, when that sleazebag came over and propositioned him. 

"Hi there, pretty boy, are you alone?" 

With his stale breath and leering gaze, the man leaned close to him, giving him a thorough once over. 

He paid no attention to him. It's not unusual for people to come to him and ask him for… favors. Mostly sexual, and it happened ever since he was still underage. It happened because he has that ethereal look of someone... _different_. 

He… _shines_. 

Brighter than the sun. 

So it's only natural people would gravitate toward him.

Sometimes he wondered, _who's the monster here?_ Himself? Or the human who didn't give a damn about others, only about their own _needs_ and _wants._ He felt so disgusted with human beings in general. 

So, when the repulsive man touched his thigh, he only looked at him, unimpressed, and pondering what he should do to this vile creature.

He was thinking of cutting this creature's hand, when another hand pulled it away from his thigh rather forcefully.

"Sorry, he's with me."

He turned his head to see who's the other pest that bothered him, and almost gawked.

On the other side of him was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. He was tall, with the coloring of warm honey. The man gazed into him with his enchanting phoenix eyes, and he felt a sudden pull to him.

The man tilted his head as if asking if this was alright, and he nodded. He felt that mouth was suddenly dried, so he unconsciously licked it. 

The little movement did not escape the man's gaze. He looked at the pink tip of the tongue intensely, and his grasp of the other man tightened.

"Ow! Fine! I'm sorry! I didn't know that he was with someone! Now let me go please!" 

The man was rather startled with the outburst, and he let go of the hand. The lewd man scurried away while mumbling some incoherent word, but none of them paid any attention.

"Are you okay?" 

He noticed that the man has a beauty mark under his lips. Then he realized that the man was talking to him.

"Ah, I'm fine, thanks. I got used to it anyway." He shrugged. "May I buy you a drink? As a… thank you."

The man looked at him for a long time, before answering. "I don't drink alcohol." 

Yibo raised his brow and looked at him incredulously.

"But…" the man continued, "we can go someplace else more… quieter?"

Yibo was not an innocent boy. He had this kind of proposition every other day when he went into town. Of course he was a very picky man, other than his prey, he would choose his sex partner _very_ carefully. 

This one though, ignited something inside him that he never knew existed.

"I know a place."

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


The door wasn't even fully closed when Yibo pushed the beautiful man against the wall and kissed him hard. They were inside a nondescript hotel suite, where everything was beige and… nondescript.

The man pulled him closer, and tried to unbuckle his belt while Yibo pushed his shirt off.

"You have condoms?" The man asked while frantically taking off all of his clothes.

Yibo was not Yibo if he didn't get prepared for all possibilities including sex. So of course yeah, he has condoms and lube.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm also clean." He continued to roam his hands across the man's body. "Beautiful." He pushed the man onto the bed.

The man kissed him so fervently, making Yibo hard. His hand searched downward for his cock, which was already leaking. 

"You want my cock so bad, huh?" He let go of the kiss and gave him a smirk. "Come and get it then." He pushed the beautiful man's head down.

The man was greedily enveloping the full shaft down to his throat, making Yibo growled and moved his hips involuntarily. It hit the back of his throat, but the man kept going down for the full length, making Yibo admire the lack of his gag reflex.

This was the time he typically siphoned off the prey's soul; through direct contact. Although a touch would be sufficient enough, he preferred the more fun way for special people.

But he kinda liked the way this guy's sucking his cock, so, it could wait. 

He pushed the man off, and flipped him onto the bed.

"I'm gonna fuck you now." 

The man's eyes were glassy, his sight unfocused, and Yibo had never seen a more beautiful sight than this debauched man.

He made incoherent noises and Yibo took it as a consent.

He poured the lube generously, and coated his fingers before he pushed a single digit into the man's hole, making him gasp and make a move with his hips, chasing the finger down.

"You like it rough, huh?" Yibo's moving his finger in and out, then pushing another one, wanting to see this man broke apart just by his fingers.

The man arched his back and moaned lewdly, a song to Yibo's ears. He tried to find purchase on the bed sheet while his head's thrashing wildly, and his hips moving faster against the thick fingers, looking for more.

"That's… so good… ahh, but I want more…" the man mewled and panted, all because of the fingers. Yibo wondered what his cock would do to this man. Tear him apart probably.

"So greedy…"

He pulled out his fingers, lined up his cock to the hole, and pushed it in in one smooth movement.

The man jerked his body up and Yibo caught him in a hot searing kiss, while siphoning his life energy. He was being careful not to take too much though, because he kinda liked this guy.

They moved together, building a rhythm that's becoming faster and faster, with moans and groans, and the slick sound of beaten flesh. Until finally the man clamped Yibo down and spurted his cum all over their connected bodies, and Yibo let himself cum too.

  
  


Yibo was cleaning himself up in the ensuite, when he heard the sound of the door being opened and closed. He took a peek from the bathroom door, and found no trace of the man he just fucked.

_Strange._

Normally, after a fucking and siphoning session, the people he's with would beg for more and more. The siphoning of your soul seemed to have that kind of effect. _An aphrodisiac_. Of course until there's no soul left to be sucked, then you're going to die.

He was very careful not to suck all of their soul unless he had reasons to.

This particular one though, he tasted different. 

Yibo couldn't pinpoint the difference yet, but he felt… nice. Warm. Some people tasted nasty, bitter, and ugly. The taste of their soul generally reflected their true face. And so far he's liking this one the most.

He's not worried about losing him though, after a siphoning session he normally had the general idea of their person's whereabouts.

He continued to clean himself up, and get ready to get home, bringing gifts and pumpkins to carve. 

'Tis the holiday season after all.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


He parked his bike in the hidden garage behind the mansion, and entered from the back door… only to be hit by a cold mini snowstorm.

"Yibo gege!!! Where have you been??? Why did you leave me alone???"

Yibo was making an 'oof' sound from the weight the tiny girl threw at him when she jumped on him from the second floor.

"Mian Mian, you're heavy, get off." He pushed her away and took a deep breath, when he realized that there were others around him.

"You reeked of humans." A beautiful white fox sniffed him. "Did you at least bring us something? A soul?"

"Don't you look at me with that judgy look, Jiyang, I only went out because those humans got in."

"He's having one of his dine and dash." A boy, no more than fifteen, looked at him appreciatively. "With all that junk you have, I'm sure they won't mind after all." 

"Fuck you, Jingyi, what do you know about my junk anyway?" He tried to stand up, but it's hard with a girl clinging on his neck, unwilling to let go. "Where's Xue Yang? I brought him pumpkins to carve."

"He's out carving something… or someone, we'll never know." A beautiful woman entered the hallway, and picked Mian Mian up. "Now now baby, since when did you become a bad girl and made a mess here?" She pointed at the clumps of snow in the middle of the floor.

"I'm sorry, Ziyi-jie, I was just so excited to see Yibo gege come back after such a long time." 

"It was just a few hours, Mianmian, now go grab the cleaning supply and clean your mess." She put her down and the little girl ran into the closet. Then she turned around to face Yibo.

"Wang Yibo."

"Meng Ziyi."

"Where did you disappear into? Do you know what kind of a mess you left me with?" She crossed her hands in front of her chest, an intimidating gesture for others,but not for Yibo.

"I was… out." He shrugged.

"Having a dine and dash." Jingyi added helpfully.

"Not helping, Jingyi. And why do you scold me? I'm not 18 anymore, I can have… life, you know?"

"Yuan was out."

Yibo straightened up. His body tensed.

"Is he okay? Did they hurt him?"

"Thankfully, no. Xue Yang and Zizhen got to him pretty quick."

"What about the humans? Are they dead?" He was fumed, and if they're not dead, he was gonna kill them.

"Unfortunately no. They have the shock of their life though. And Jiyang helped erase their memories."

"I'm going to see Yuan right now." Yibo walked downstairs to the basement, but Ziyi stopped him.

"He's asleep now, no need to make unnecessary commotion, he'll only feel guiltier later."

"But it's not his fault, he should know that."

"Yibo, we all know. But that kid won't be able to forgive himself if something else happened to another human."

Yibo dropped down on the floor, feeling tired for the first time in these last few days.

"Do you think we've done enough? I mean, we can't even forbid the people from entering the mansion, let alone doing stupid things. I'm so fucking tired, Ziyi." He put his face between his knees, when Ziyi came to pat his head.

"We have done all we can. It's up to Yuan now to forgive himself."

At that time, another boy entered the hallway.

"Look what I've found lying around the front door… pumpkins!! Let's carve them!" He put the pumpkins and the halloween decorations inside. "Hey, we can ask Yuan to help reach the top to put spiderwebs and the real spiders!"

"As if we don't have enough real spiders and spiderwebs already." Jingyi scoffed. 

"Zizhen, where's Xue Yang?" Yibo tried to cheer the atmosphere up by forcing a smile. "I got pumpkins for him to carve."

"He's at the back, doing stuff I don't want to know about." Zizhen rummaged the bags. "Hey! Shoes!"

"Easy tiger, I got shoes and stuff for all of you."

He tried to get his mind off of everything by throwing gifts to the people who live in his mansion. Not people. _Creatures._

He was the happiest with them, and they seem to be happy living there to accompany him and his woes.

"Children, we have to be prepared for the Samhain. I have a bad feeling that this year won't be like the previous ones." Ziyi started to get the pumpkins out. "We need the decorations. The scarier the better. Mian Mian, Zizhen, Jingyi, can you pick some of the skulls and candles from the attic?" She tried to get the kids out of their conversation, Yibo noticed.

After the young ones were gone, he looked straight at Ziyi.

"Now tell me what's been bothering you."

Ziyi acted like she didn't hear the question, instead she fiddled around the empty bags.

"You better tell him, Ziyi, otherwise he'll pester you until you blow up." Jiyang stretched up and turned into his human form, a tall skinny man with skin as white as snow and long white hair and red eyes. There's a trident mark on his forehead.

"Tell me what exactly?"

"The Slayers are in town." Ziyi finally spat out the words.

 _The Slayers._

That was the group of people that Ziyi had previous affiliation with. Her old _family._ The one that she ran away from because their methods were getting too cruel in torturing monsters and humans alike. But she was also not getting out unscathed.

Jiyang and Yibo found her in a ditch, half dead. Thankfully, her skills, which was ' _heal_ ', came in handy in healing herself. Plus extra energy boosts from Yibo and Jiyang. That's how they stick together, because they wanted to, not because they were forced to.

"How did you know?" Yibo asked her, although he knew her answer already.

"That bitch sent me a message through one of her dolls."

By bitch, she meant Jiao Jiao, the only female slayer in the group now that she's gone. She hates Ziyi because her boyfriend seems to take a liking to her.

"Did you burn the doll? Careful not to touch it." Xue Yang entered from outside, and took one of the pumpkins. "Aww, did you buy this for me, Yibaobao?"

"Stop calling me that! And yes I bought that for you, can you please just carve it?" 

"Sure, might as well put my knife skill into a good use." He took out his long curved blade and started to carve the pumpkin.

"So, Xue Yang, how's the… vines situation?" Ziyi tried to change the subject.

"Ziyi, I told you her name is Qing and she's my best buddy, right, Qing?" He waved at the general direction of the door, where there were purple vines all over, climbing slowly as if _alive._ "And my baobei is a very good girl, she promised me not to… ruin the door again."

"If by ruin you mean _destroyed_ until we have to seal the doorway, then yeah, whatever." 

Xue Yang just shrugged and scratched the chin of a girly little doll on his left shoulder. Another one of his _pets_.

"You live a dangerous life here, Yang Yang." Yibo scoffed at him, and helped Ziyi take care of the bags. 

"Well, unlike you, Mr. Dine and Dash, I have my own harem of pretty girls right here in the manor, right Yuki?" He tickled the doll on his shoulder.

Yibo swore he could hear the doll _purred_.

"Well, I'm off helping kids with the halloween decoration." Jiyang waved his hand and walked upstairs to the attic. "Who knows what kind of shenanigans they were up to, being this silent for a long time."

"I'm gonna take a shower, then sleep. I'm so fucking tired."

"You're fucking someone alright, Yuki said she could smell the man you've just fucked."

"Shut up, doll fucker."

"Right back at ya, gege fucker."

"Stop, kids, play nice." Ziyi threw shoes at them.

"Ooh, nice, new shoes? Thanks Yibaobao!"

Yibo only waved and walked up to the second floor, where his bedroom was. He closed the door and took off his clothes, took a sniff of it before throwing it in the dirty clothes bin.

He drew a hot bath, complete with essential oils, aromatic candles and turned on the music. He needed to think.

Samhain meant that the ley lines under the mansion would be wide open. And the monsters would definitely crawl up. He needed to make some kind of protection for himself and his family, not to mention the townsfolk.

 _Stupid humans_.

They chose this critical time of the year to wander around the manor with their stupid dares, not knowing that the real threat would surely kill them if Yibo gave them a chance.

Sometimes, he was _tempted_. To just let the monsters go and roam the city, to make destruction and be done with it. 

But he knew Ziyi would not approve that, and he respected her too much to do any other way.

Suddenly an image popped out in his head. The image of writhing warm honey skin, pliant under his hands, a very kissable beauty mark under the lips and the widened phoenix eyes when he was surprised by his sheer number.

He sighed and immersed himself under water, trying not to think about that person. He didn't even know his name. 

He took a long enough bath to finally relax a bit, and he activated his connection to the man.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


The wind was hurling outside, signaling the incoming end of the autumn with the drastic drop of the temperature, and the losses of the last of the beautiful golden leaves. But the smells were still there. The warm pumpkin pie and turkey with all the condiments. The hot chocolate with marshmallow. The caramel and burnt sugar. The wet leaves. _The acrid smell of sulfur._

There were ghosts everywhere.

He sighed while smoking outside his apartment's balcony, watching the smoke swirl around before disappearing into thin air. A stray ghost came closer and he just flicked it with his cigarette to make it disappear.

There were only a few more weeks before the Samhain, and he had to do something about the ley lines. He knew it's going to get ugly if he did not do anything to close the rift.

The thing was, there's a fucking manor on top of the biggest lines.

He didn't know who built that ugly manor there, or what the purpose was supposed to be. But he did his research and found out that the manor belonged to W Corp, a tech billionaire.

And the strangest thing was, there seems to be _people_ who live there. Strange people nonetheless. And kids. _Who in their right mind would let kids stay in that horror house?_ Especially this time of the year.

He shivered lightly.

His thoughts inadvertently ran to the beautiful young man with a presence brighter than the sun, rather than feeling the chill of the ghostly wind.

He wondered why he left just like that, and then he blushed wildly, remembering the _things_ he did. _Shamelessly._

_A momentary lapse._

He tried to convince himself with not much success.

He stubbed out the cigarette, and decided that he would pay a visit to the manor later on tonight.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

It was the full moon night, also the perfect night to cleanse impurities and recharge the crystals; as Ziyi was doing right now. She could not be disturbed, so Yibo decided to walk to the small natural hot spring near the mansion. It was located on the higher edge of the property, with dense forests around it. 

He was thinking of taking the boys with him, but they disappeared, god knows where. There were too many rooms inside the mansion, and Yibo didn't have the patience to look for them. He liked to think alone, and sometimes skinny dipping in the hot spring. Like he was planning to do right now. He ran all the way to the hot spring, and by the time he got there, he was sweaty and dirty.

He shed all his clothes and dive bombed into the hot spring, splashing the hot water everywhere. It felt freeing, being able to scream his heart out and syphon energies from the living things around him. Humans were more filling, but plants and animals tasted better. It's like… junk food versus gourmet.

He let go of his control, and his energies were flowing freely in the water, making various shapes of fluid silver streaks. The water looked like it was illuminated from its depth by the soft shine of the streaks. The inhabitants near the water, small animals and… everything else, curiously approached the streaks and basked in the glowy warmth of it. 

His instincts were increased tenfold when he did that and that was when he heard that sound. 

The sound of a human took footsteps on the wet grass.

It's indiscernible to ordinary humans' hearing, but he wasn't an ordinary human. 

He kept quiet, reigned his energy, and waited in the darkness.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


He went out after finishing his cigarette to get dinner and information. The townsfolk were not helping at all, either they pretended they did not understand his questions, or just gave him a stink eye. 

Until finally someone was willing to tell him about  _ The Tale of The Beautiful White Demon that Lived in the Haunted Mansion.  _

Apparently that particular mansion was neglected ever since a family disappeared overnight, leaving their adopted son alone. People speculated that the son was actually a demon incarnated, and he sacrificed his own parents' souls to feed the real demon that had resided beneath the house.

Ever since then, the house and the surroundings were locked out of the public. But since Halloween was coming, more and more people dared to come inside, to do some kind of stupid pranks and even more stupider dares.

Some of them would get back unscathed, while some of them would be disoriented and forget things that happened in the past few hours.

So far, there were no victims… that they knew of.

The only thing that remained consistent was the beautiful white demon. He was really curious about the description of the demon. It sounded like a kitsune, but he's not sure either before he saw it with his own eyes. So he decided to do a mini surveillance. 

Also, he heard that there was a natural hot spring near that said haunted mansion, so he decided to soak there to ease the… delicious ache he had on his back.

  
  
  
  
  


The walk to the hot spring was not pleasant, he found out. It was located up on the hill, and he had to climb some questionable tree roots. 

He didn't know the exact location of the hot spring, but judging by the heaviness of the air that gradually grew thicker around him, he was pretty sure he was on the right tracks. He moved stealthily, as if not to disturb the surrounding. 

He felt the change in the air just seconds before something… or someone, jumped him.

He really didn't feel the other's presence until he - turned out it's a he - was on top of him, and his neck was pressed down to the ground.

"Who are you and what the fuck are you doing… you?"

He was surprised too, seeing the ethereal young man that he… well, fucking, and only this afternoon.

"You."

The young man still wouldn't let him go, although the pressure on his neck lessened.

"What are you doing here?"

His eyes were so brilliant under the moonlight, making his own heart beat faster. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself, and instead took a faint whiff of jasmine… and something masculine.

The next thing he noticed was the young man's nakedness.

"Uhm… I heard there is a natural hot spring… somewhere around here?" 

He felt cold sweat start to pool behind his back, and he felt something poking him at the front.

The young man suddenly grinned widely, making his face look younger and he has half moon eyes and crinkles on the corner of his face from smiling. Then he stood up, all in his naked glory, and pulled the other up.

"Uhm… you're naked…?" He tried to avert his eyes, and looked anywhere but the man in front of him.

"Tsch, why so shy? It's not like you've never seen me naked before." He turned around and strutted back to the way he came. "Come, the hot spring is over here."

He followed the young man through the thick forest slowly, stopping for a few times to find his footing on the slippery forest floor when he saw the hand being offered to him.

"Here, hold my hand. Don't want you to slip and die somewhere in the ditch."

He could hear the grin in his voice.

"Gee, thanks…" 

Nevertheless, he held his hand. Gradually he could feel his face become hotter and hotter, just from the close proximity with this man that he didn't even know the name.

"Hey, what's your name? I've been meaning to ask, but you've already gone when I came out from the bathroom."

As if he could read mind, he asked the question that he himself wanted to ask, but didn't really have the courage to.

"I- my name is Xiao Zhan. You?"

"Just call me Yibo. So, Xiao Zhan, what brings you here? Did someone tell you about the hot spring? I know for a fact you're not from around here."  _ Your smell is different. And your taste is… addictive.  _ He thought about double dipping.  _ Maybe later.  _ He unconsciously licked his lips.

They arrived at the hot spring a short while later, and Yibo jumped in, splashing water everywhere, most of it on Xiao Zhan.

He was stunned by this young man's behaviour. It's very unlike the one he met at the bar just a mere hours ago. This man seemed so… young.

"Come on, jump in! The water is perfect, just take off your clothes." His eyes shone so bright, it made Xiao Zhan's heart beat faster than it should. He took off his clothes carefully, folded it, and put it aside before he joined the younger man in the hot spring.

"How old are you?" Yibo asked Xiao Zhan out of the blue.

"Uhm… I'm 27. Why? How old are you?" He dipped his back lower to the hot spring. It's so comfortable, and the water temp was perfect. He sighed in contentment.

"You act and sound like you're way older than 27. I'm 21, so should I call you ge? Zhan-ge?" He tilted his head in a flirtatious manner.

"If you want… gou zai zai." He grinned at the younger man.

"Wha- why gou zai zai?" He looked confused at the nickname. 

"Because you're a biter and an over excited large puppy…" Xiao Zhan laughed at the expression on Yibo's face. "I mean, look at these bite marks! And my back was not like when I was in my early 20s...ugh." he straightened his back while Yibo looked at him incredulously. 

"Zhan-ge is exaggerating, Zhan-ge looks younger than 27, but his mind is like a 50 years old man…" Yibo splashed water onto the other man playfully.

"Oh my god, you really are a child!" Xiao Zhan laughed and splashed back.

They did that for a while then after giggling nonstop they sat side by side, all shyness gone.

"So, what did you do, Ge? I mean your job. You're new in town right?"

Xiao Zhan looked at him for a while, then he smiled his brilliant smile that could light up the entire woods.

"I'm not in any job right now, just got out from a… messy workplace and I need to take a breather."

Since Yibo had never worked a day in his life, he didn't quite understand what kind of 'messy' a workplace could be.

"So, was it very dirty? Your workplace?" He tilted his head in such an innocent way, Xiao Zhan couldn't help but feel some kind of fondness.

"Yeah, yeah I guess you could say that. It's very dirty to the point I don't see the reason to stay anymore." There's a hint of regret in his voice. "But anyway, it's good now. I get to travel and meet you." 

He really meant that. This man was… interesting to say the least. 

Not to mention they way his heart beat like crazy whenever he was near.

Yibo had the audacity to  _ blush _ . He splashed water to the older to hide his shyness.

No one,  _ no one _ ever said things like that to him. 

"Aww, Zhan-ge, you made me happy, no one ever said that they… never mind. Go on, tell me more about you, I want to know everything."

They talked. About anything and everything. And sometimes to the prying ears, their conversation seemed to make no sense at all. They spent the night just talking and giggling and laughing like two naughty schoolboys.

It was when the first ray of sunshine hit the edge of the forest that they realized they spent the night just talking to each other.

"Oh my god, my skin wrinkles like raisins!" Yibo gasped when he looked at his wrinkled skin, making Xiao Zhan giggle.

"That's what we get when we spend the whole night inside of hot water!"

"Well, true…" he looked at the older man. "But I don't regret it. I enjoy every second that you are here."

He seemed so sincere and vulnerable, making Xiao Zhan feel something fluttered inside his chest.

"I enjoy our talk too, Yibo." He smiled weakly, hoping that the younger man didn't notice his sudden change of expression.

But Yibo, being forced to read minute details of human's expressions since he was a little kid, noticed right away. And he frowned at the thought of the older man lying to him.

"Zhan-ge, do you really? Enjoying our conversation? Or you just indulging me, a brat? That's fine, I don't want to force anyone to like me, ge. I just wish that you're being more honest about it." He stood up all in his naked glory, and gathered his clothes. "Thanks for your company anyway, I really  _ enjoyed _ our conversations." There's an obvious hurt in his voice that's making Xiao Zhan feel the same pain.

"Yibo, I-I didn't mean it like that…" his voice faltered at the thought of the younger man misunderstanding him.

"Did you? It's fine. I get used to it. People lied to my face. But I thought you would be better than that… this." He turned around ready to leave.

But Xiao Zhan was also a determined man. He shot out from the spring, naked and for once not shy about it, and grabbed Yibo's arms.

"Listen to me, you little shit…" he was out of breath from anger. "Don't you think because you could read my emotion for a nanosecond then you understood me for who I am." He liked the look of surprise in Yibo's face. "Do you think, because I have a second of feeling that even  _ I  _ couldn't describe, and it showed in my face, you can just decide what it is and  _ leave _ , then you're a fucking coward."

Yibo was visibly stunned. Then anger came to him.

"Me? A coward? You're the one who looked like you're  _ forced  _ to stay here and talk to me. A fucking  _ all night  _ long!" Yibo was pissed now. "At least have some decency to leave before…" he gulped and tore his gaze away from the older man.

"Before what?" He stepped closer to Yibo and now they were face to face, chests heaving in anger and frustration. "Before you like me?"

Yibo did not answer, only the tip of his ears reddened.

"Well, guess what asshole, I like you too."

  
  
  



End file.
